Kanye West is no stranger to ambitious ventures. But some severe implications seem to hit his latest endeavor. After the failed plans of Donda Academy, the LA-based church property he bought for $1.5 million in March is reportedly deteriorating, per The Sun.
The rapper’s vision of creating a spiritual and educational space in the form of Donda Academy may have seemed promising at first. West planned to transform the church property into a private school, providing an alternative education system.
Church Property Seemingly Gone To Waste
Named after his late mother, Donda West, his vision for the academy was to combine his creative genius with academic studies. He aimed to provide students with an education that was both artistic and academic.
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However, the reality has been quite different. The church property has been abandoned and uncared for following the failure of Donda Academy. As seen in photos obtained by the publication mentioned above, the site now lies in a state of neglect with signs of decay.
It’s unknown whether West plans to renovate the property at all and start fresh or whether he will sell it instead.
Kanye West’s $1.5M church property deteriorating after failed DONDA Academy plans
📸: @TheSunUS pic.twitter.com/i6sSeJcWTd
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) December 20, 2023
Is Kanye West Building His Own City?
While the future of Donda Academy and its church remains unclear, West is already working on another ambitious project: building his own city in the Middle East.
On Wednesday (December 20), a website that appears to be affiliated with Yeezy sent out job applications for Phase 1 of YZY DROAM.
Per Hot New Hip Hop, the father of four is recruiting engineers, project managers, architects, and contractors to help bring his vision to life. At 100,000 acres, YZY Droam would be four times larger than Paris if it ever reaches its completing stage.
YZY
DROAM
PHASE 1 pic.twitter.com/wPdxl4w37S— Unreleased Ye (@unreleased_ye) December 20, 2023
The ambitious project comes just one year after West reportedly planned to build his mini-city, the “Yecosystem.”
According to sources from Rolling Stone, he had been crafting his own universe for at least two years and filed a trademark application shortly after. The mini-city would contain branded homes and retail stores selling Yecosystem-branded items, though specific details remain under wraps.
“He comes from a good place,” an insider told the magazine about the Yecosystem at the time. “It’s definitely his goal that everything that people touch that’s his is a good thing and has a good impact on the world.”
